Program Description
School of Education Graduate Faculty
School of Education Graduate Programs Website
The Accelerated Master of Arts in Teaching (AMAT) program at SPU integrates Washington Residency Teacher Certification with a Master of Arts in Teaching degree. Candidates in the AMAT program become effective teachers by:
- Demonstrating effective and equitable teaching practices
- Centering instruction on high expectations for student achievement, including culturally responsive teaching practices
- Recognizing and responding to individual student learning needs
- Providing clear and intentional focus on subject matter content and curriculum
- Fostering and managing a safe, positive, and inclusive learning environment
- Using multiple student data elements to modify instruction and improve student learning
- Communicating and collaborating with parents and the school community
- Exhibiting collaborative and collegial practices focused on improving instruction and learning
- Developing professional wellness habits in order to persist and thrive in the teaching profession.
Alternative Routes
The AMAT program recognizes the alternative routes to certification that have been identified by the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB). These routes are for individuals who possess a unique set of qualifications and wish to earn a Washington state Residency Certificate. SPU is approved to offer Routes 2, 3, and 4. Students should refer to the PESB Alternative Routes site for more information.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must submit the following items to the Graduate Admissions
- Online application and $50 application processing fee.
- Official transcript(s) from each college or university attended.
- Personal statement (1–2 pages).
- Résumé.
- Two to four letters of recommendation.
- Preferred WEST-B scores including 240 on each subtest: reading, writing, and mathematics.
- Applicants may use a combination of SAT, ACT, and WEST-B scores to meet the WEST-B requirement (reading writing, mathematics). Please contact the Graduate Admissions if you have questions.
- Minimum SAT scores required - Math: 515, Reading: 500, Writing: 490.
- Minimum ACT scores required - Math: 22, Reading: 22, Writing: 8.
- Taking the state endorsement test.
- You must take the endorsement test(s) for your intended endorsement area(s). Tests should be passed prior to the start of the graduate teacher education program.
- Several NES study guides are located on the main floor Reference section of SPU's Ames Library If you are admitted, you may use your SPU account to check out online study guides from the library.
- Verify endorsement readiness.
- Endorsements are the content and grade levels a teacher is prepared to teach. The Professional Education Standards Board (PESB) provides a comprehensive list of endorsements and the required content competencies and assessments.
- If your college major matches your intended endorsement, complete the Endorsement Verification form in the application.
- If your major does not match your intended endorsement, please contact our Certification Office. Complete the Endorsement Verification form only after contacting the Certification Office. On the form, indicate that you have been in contact with the Certification Office and list your “Approved Plan of Study” if one has been developed.
- Shortage-area requirement.
- Students enrolled in an alternative routes to certification program must be pursuing at least one endorsement in a subject and/or geographic area as defined by PESB including but not limited to special education, elementary, English language arts, Spanish, social studies, and English language learners. Students with a local shortage area (district wide) are eligible as long as the district is able to verify there is a local shortage. The current shortage areas can be found on the PESB website. If you do not meet the shortage area requirement and would like to participate in the accelerated version of our MTMS program, please contact the School of Education for additional options for students in this situation.
- Moral Character and Personal Fitness Policy form (found in the online application).
Applicants with complete files submitted by the deadline are screened for interviews in March. Invitations to interview are sent by email.
Contact
If you have questions about graduate education or certification programs:
Internship
Internships begin in late August as K–12 teachers return to school for in-service training. Candidates intern across the school year, while completing online and on-campus coursework. On-campus and online coursework integrate internship experiences to assist candidates in applying educational theory and research to planning, instruction, and assessment.
Candidates are paired with a mentor teacher and university field supervisor in a supervised school setting. Your internship is five days a week during an entire K–12 school year, including in-service and end-of-the-year activities. There are monthly internship release days so that candidates have time to devote attention to other program requirements.
Candidates and mentor teachers follow a co-teaching model, where responsibility for planning, instruction, management, and assessment is shared. You will begin your internship with focused observations and progress to independent teaching. Across internship, you will complete assignments designed to maximize learning from field experiences, such as a classroom management plan, internship reflections, lesson plans, a family engagement plan, and program assessments. Internship concludes with you returning control of classroom responsibilities to your mentor teacher.
Completion of the MAT Degree
Candidates earn the MAT degree by completing 3 graduate-level courses, totaling 9 credits. These classes are taken at the regular graduate tuition rate. Classes required for the MAT degree are not needed for certification. However, most candidates complete degree requirements immediately following certification to increase their base salary. Candidates may delay completion of degree requirements for five years following the quarter of admission, as long as active enrollment status is maintained by completing one class every four quarters. Students are required to earn their Residency Teaching Certificate in order to be eligible to earn the Master of Arts in Teaching degree.
Second Master's Benefit
Students admitted to a graduate teacher education master’s program (this does not include the ARC program) already holding a graduate degree may qualify for the master’s benefit. This means that students may transfer in up to 12 quarter credits from their previous master’s degree (assuming it meets eligibility requirements) to apply toward their master’s degree at SPU. Students must submit a consent to transfer coursework form to the associate director of graduate programs to earn the benefit. These credits are included in the transfer policy. The combined total of master’s benefit coursework and other approved transfer coursework may not exceed one third of the total number of required credits in your program.
